Shaper and form-holder for hats



P. BRAND.

- SHAPER AND FORM HOLDER FOR HATS APPLICATION FILED DEC.31, 1919- Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

' A To Mays dTfiiTliS PHILIP BRAITD,OF NEVJ' YORK, N. Y.

Application filed December 31, 1919.

To cZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, PHILIP BRAND, acitizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Bronx, county of Bronx, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shapers and Form- Holders for Hats, of which the following is a description.

This invention has reference to devices for shaping and holding the form of soft felt hats and, particularly, relates to an adjustable means by which the hat may be shaped and its form held, and many other advantages are obtained therefrom not possible in prior art structures.

Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: to provide a device which may be applied to soft felt hats, and which will give thereto the desired shape or form, which latter can be held or maintained during the entire use of the device; to provide an adjustable device by which the shape given to the hat may be varied within certain limitations; to provide a device of the character set forth in the foregoing which will not crease the hat, but which will give thereto a well rounded and graceful form; to provide a device for shaping, and holding the shape of, felt hats which will not crack the felt and which will stay in the position given it without injuring the material of the hat; to provide a hat shaper and form holder with means by which a good grip can be obtained upon the hat for removing and replacing the same when desired,

which prevents the latter from losing its form; to provide means by which the branches of the device are strengthened and the material of the hat can be bent around said branches, so as to give the graceful in dentations to the sides of the hat which are desired; and to provide a simple, strong,

. durable, effective and economical device for Specification of Letters Patent.

and which. prevents crushing the hat in handling, and

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

Serial No. 348,551.

shown broken away on one side owing to the limitations of the sheet.

'so as to vary the spread to the indentation and vary the height of the crown of the hat.

Tn all the figures of the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the stem or base member of the form holder and shaper, which is 'made U-shaped in cross-section for the purpose of providing a receptacle of large capacity into which the fold 2 of the crown of the hat may be depressed, it being particularly noted that this fold is not creased, and that the base of my shaper is purely a receptacle capable of receiving the fold of soft felt hats, regardless of the weight of the material. The base or stem 1 of the device is centrally located and has, at each end thereof, a pair of tongues 3 which are inbent or incurved to engage gently, but sufliciently, the body of the fold 2 of the hat which passes between the same, and which tongues grip the fold at a considerable distance above its extremity or ridge. The tongues 3 are flexihis and can be bent more or less one way or the other, so as to vary the pressure thereof upon the material of the fold, Being ar ranged at opposite ends of the device, as shown in Fig. 1, the tongues 3 grip the fold 2 of the hat uniformly and at equal distances from the base 1 of the device, thus properly supportin the shaper within the hat and upon the rold, with no tendency to alter its position at either end.

The branches l of the shaper are flared outwardly from the top of the stem and, at their extremities, are curled outwardly, as at 5, into cylindrical form. The material of the shaper being flexible, the branches 4 can be varied in position relatively to each other, so as to give to the fold at the crown of the hat a more or less widespread position, as shown, for example, in Fig. 3; and the extremities being curled or rolled over, as at 5, shape the hat at the crown symmetrically, avoiding creasing and cracking and having the function of holding the crown of the hat in proper position. By rolling into c lindrical form the extremities 5, the sald extremities are strengthened, and the latter, in turn, strengthen the branches 4, preventing the latter from being flexed out of proper form. Again, the rolled extremities 5 provide a substantial and extensive means by which to grip the hat at the crown, enabling the wearer to readily and freely handle the same for removing and replacing, and for dofling the same, as required, without crushing the crown or causing the hat to lose its shape or form. Furthermore, by rounding the extremities, the sides of the hat can be bent inwardly, as at 6, thus giving the graceful and ornamental shape and indentation, so desirable in soft hats, and this shape is permanently held or maintained, due to the shape of the form holder and to the round extremities 5 thereof.

While I have shown the extremities 5 curled or rolled into the form of a cylinder, I desire it distinctly understood that said extremities may be varied in shape and extent, without departing from the spirit of my invention or depriving it of its characteristics as hereinbefore set forth. I, preferably, make my shaper and form holder of light metal such as aluminum, which is not only flexible, but has, or can be given, a certain amount of resiliency, enabling it to be handled without changing its form. I do not wish .to be limited, however, to such metal, or to any metal; but, desire it understood that I may make the device of any flexible or resilient material found suitable for the purpose. It will be seen, also, that 1 Patent is 1. A shaper and form holder for soft hats comprising a piece of sheet material formed. into a U-shaped base member affording a receptacle for'the fold of the hat; a pair of branched arms terminating in cylindrical extremities for supporting the crown of the hat; and inwardly bent tongues or members for engaging the fold of the hat beyond the base of the device.

2. A hat shaper and form holder made of a single piece of sheet material having a U- shaped central basemember; a pair of in wardly bent holding. members at opposite ends of the base member; and a pair of branched arms terminating in crown-supporting devices.

3. A shaper and form holder for soft hats comprising a receptacle for the fold of the hat, and a pair of outwardly branched arms terminating in stiff cylindrical members for supporting the crown of the hat, the receptacle being shorter than the said members, and tongues extending inwardly from said members at opposite ends of the receptacle and separated therefrom for engaging the hat above the fold.

PHILIP BRAND. 

